Ben Franklin Academy Loves “Hour of Code”

While only 1 in 4 high schools nationally offer computer programming classes, Ben Franklin Academy (BFA) in Colorado understands the importance of exposing kids to computer science early. They not only participate in “Hour of Code” during Computer Science Education Week (December 7-13, 2015) but implement “Weeks of Code” at their school.

The fifth graders learn basic coding concepts and skills but for them it doesn't stop there. BFA’s technology team also integrates career exploration in order to expose kids to the real jobs you can have that involve writing code - from a game developer to a spacecraft fight engineer to a chief technology officer. With Couragion, the kids will experience a variety of different jobs that each entail coding in order to give kids a better sense of the potential diverse opportunities that are out there. Connecting practical skills to real world experiences is key in order to inspire kids to pursue careers that they’ll love!

When I looked last week, nearly 145 million had tried an “Hour of Code”. And now just half way through the 2015 Computer Education Week, nearly 22 million more have been served up an Hour of Code. While I love all the traction and focus on Code Week - it's important to remember that Code.org provides free educational resources for all ages and any time of the year. So you can get involved whether you are an educator, parent, family member or volunteer. How are you getting involved?